Chanku

Hundreds of years ago, the Chanku were a class of noble-born warriors in the city of Pahmey. A rebellion within the city saw the Chanku overthrown and banished into the wilderness. In their exile, the Chanku warriors tamed the nightwolves of the plains, becoming riders of the beasts.

Over time, the Chanku riders began to adopt the lifetime of the nightwolves, setting up a heirarchy based on the laws of the wolf pack. The ruler of Chanku, the alpha, is the strongest warrior; he or she can be overthrown in a "battle of wolves", a duel for dominance. Rather than inherited, the position of alpha is earned by battle. The heirarchy runs down to omega, the servants of the pack (who are tasked with mundane work such as scouring pots).

The Chanku have built no new cities; rather, they have lived a nomadic lifestyle, living in tents and hunting stonebeasts upon the plains. In recent times, they have settled in a great crater south of the Inaro River. The Chanku Pack still dreams of returning to rule Pahmey someday, banishing the new rulers of that city.

Every man and woman of Chanku is paired for life with a nightwolf. The riders don scale armor and fur cloaks; they bear katanas and bows.